Hi, my name is jacally - I am the girlfriend of the orger known as mrdespues, ET & Penis. He has asked me to post this review for all of you in his absence, which he wrote some time ago as part of a journalism course. He hopes you will enjoy it and constructive criticism is of course welcome!


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Sign ‘O’ The Times
Prince


The year was 1987. The Cosby Show was number one, the American economy was experiencing deflation and Prince was rebounding from the commercial and critical flop that was his 1986 film, “Under the Cherry Moon”. Having offered vastly different recordings for each album since “Purple Rain” and releasing one album per year, Prince did something which any other artist might consider career suicide at this point – he released a double album, “Sign ‘O’ The Times”. In the great tradition of double albums such as The Beatles, “White Album” and the Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street”, “Sign ‘O’ The Times” is wonderfully messy, intriguing and in the end, unimaginable as a single album. The reason is, every song on this album fits, despite the hodge-podge array of styles present. On “Sign ‘O’ The Times”, Prince has taken the essences of rock, funk, gospel and a host of other less definable genres, and created something entirely new which can only be classified, like Hendrix’s “Hendrix Music”, as Prince’s “Prince Music”.

Jimi Hendrix is of course a key influence in Prince’s music, although on closer inspection Prince’s guitar style is something related, but quite different. As Carlos Santana once noted, Prince’s vibrato is wider with a more stinging, insistent attack and due to the numerous post-80s transistor effects he has added to its tone, it is the natural successor to Hendrix’s sound. This album is not however, one of Prince’s guitar-heavy works, except for the epic solo at the end of, “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” and a brief, highly processed and scorching solo in “U Got The Look”. Also, in what is the true opener of the album, after the initial “Sign ‘O’ The Times”, the very bright and just plain happy “Play In the Sunshine” contains a flanged-to-death solo which really boosts the song up a couple of notches. Considering Prince played all of the instruments on this album, minus horns and except for the penultimate song, “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” (played with The Revolution), Prince’s rhythm guitar work should also be noted. It can be heard to stark effect in the bluesy, slightly erratic flourishes of the title-song and is another key aspect to his sound.

The title-song itself is brilliant, a top 10 single in the US and perhaps the best commentary on the current state of the world that pop music has produced, predating Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, which was an excellent chronological avalanche of twentieth century events while “Sign ‘O’ The Times” is more of an astute social commentary on a similar theme. Throughout the song, it is as if he has check-listed as many problems with the world as is possible to fit into the three minutes it takes to sing the lyrics (the whole song is five minutes in total). He comments on issues such as AIDS (“In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name”), hard drug use and its relationship to gangs and guns, natural disasters, a girl who kills her baby because she cannot afford to feed it and general bad news. He then juxtaposes it all against the supposed well spent money of moon landings, representative here of anything governments spend millions of dollars on which could be used to help the disadvantaged. The politics of the Star Wars scheme and the fear of nuclear war get a mention, too. Towards the end of the song, he urges himself and others to “hurry before its too late” and get what is important in life done, because tomorrow could be our last day. A bleak picture for sure, but for many people in the modern world, the picture Prince has created is an accurate one.

As an antidote to the title cut, the next offering, “Play In The Sunshine”, is, as mentioned, basically about the joy of life, finding happiness, losing it and finding it all over again. It’s the clarion call of the album, delivering the message that its important to find a way to “get over” and just have fun in spite of what one may be up against. Musically, it is quite bright in tone and Prince’s trademark use of synthetic drums coupled with live percussion creates a deliberately limited sound, omitting many of the nuances of live drums. This technique also adds a stuttering character which aims to imitate and produce the closest thing to the sound of a live band, while not actually delivering the real thing. This is all part of Prince’s artistry, and use of colour in music. It is similar to his omission of all cymbals in some of his earlier work and the total lack of a bass-line in the “Purple Rain”-era hit, “When Doves Cry”. At times this method can sound almost amateurish (which is a word not usually associated with Prince), but it is intentional, and is as recognisable as his falsetto singing or reach-the-heavens guitar solos.

What is most prominent in this album, as with other Prince albums in general, is eclecticism, insistent delivery, overall musical prowess and at times, a very silly, warped sense of humour. The song “Housequake” is where all of these elements come together. Using the slightly sped-up voice of alter-ego “Camille”, in “Housequake” Prince demands, in his funkiest voice ever, “Everybody shut up, listen to the band!”. When he commands, “Everybody jump up and down” in a voice that he has almost put a bit of an English accent to, that demand alone is such an aural cartoon that one cannot help but smile. Commands such as these are good advice really, for the sound he creates here, along with the horn section of Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss (sax and trumpet, respectively) is immediate, very funky and not to be ignored.

“The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker” refers in its title to the twentieth century American writer, but the song has nothing to do with her at all. It tells of an encounter with “the other woman” as counselor. She is a waitress who happens to have the same name as the American writer and her counselling methods run to fully-clothed bubble baths and child-like play. What is remarkable about this song is that its melody is non-repeating, four minutes long and manages to be hummable.

“It” is probably the most basic song on the album in its approach and lyrics. The lyrics are solely devoted the theme of sexual obsession, with a synthetic bass drum that almost sounds like someone walking down a hall and erratic synth stabs adding to the urgent atmosphere of the narrator’s need. “Starfish and Coffee” however, was a song Prince performed years later on “The Muppet Show”. Without a doubt the most carefree song on the album, it aims to portray the imaginative spirit of a young school-girl, Cynthia, and the pictures she draws. While it is hard to understand exactly what it is about, it is still a pleasant listen. “Starfish and Coffee” is an almost nonsensical tale of innocence sandwiched between two decidedly adult songs. “Slow Love” is in more familiar territory for Prince than “Starfish…”, being a ballad in waltz time, with a doo-wop feel. It contains some interesting lyrics, a rather conventional sounding melody and Prince’s singing is wonderful. It also marks the first of only two tracks where Prince plays live drums on this album (the other being “The Cross”). The horn parts, also written by Prince, perfectly compliment the arrangement of the song.

The next song, “Hot Thing”, contains echoes of “Mountains” from Prince’s previous album “Parade”, not in the melody or feel of the song but in the signature staccato horn lines. It is these horn lines which add interest to what is otherwise a less interesting song. It is basically about attraction to somebody new and is danceable. Album number one closes with “Forever In My Life”, consisting of a loping drum beat and synth bass and accompanied by Prince’s minimalist vocal harmonies acting as bookends to the stark melody. Minimalism is a key element to the construct of this album and it is this song, together with the similar approach of the title cut that makes it one of the most compelling songs on the album. It is an account of the need to reach the full potential of what a loving relationship can be and the road that has lead the narrator there, expressing the desire to do whatever it takes to make the feeling of true love last. A statement as honest as this ranks the song as one of Prince’s most mature songs; utterly at odds with the preceding track of basic lust.

The second album begins with the Sheena Easton duet and US top ten single, “U Got The Look”, which chronicles, for Prince buffs, yet another instance of Prince’s white-person-sounding use of the black expression of coolness, “slammin’”. It also showcases some of his incredible guitar work, which as mentioned before is in its most processed, “Prince-like” state here. It is easy to see why this song became a single as it is a good, basically, blues-based (in terms of chord sequence) mid-tempo rocker. It also features again his “Camille” voice, as do the next two songs “If I Was Your Girlfriend” and “Strange Relationship”, songs that go incredibly well together in sequence for their decidedly weird take on relationships. The former is lyrically about the desire to be as close to a person as possible, postulating that if he was his girlfriend’s girlfriend, he would get to know “all the things you forgot when I was your man”. The weirdness surrounds mainly the ending, where he becomes obsessive about getting so close and the music compliments the obsession with adequate craziness. The latter song expresses a complex emotional response to a relationship where Prince just can’t stand to see his lover happy and at the same time hates to see her sad. The relationship is ultimately shallow and he questions his motives (“What’s this strange relationship that we hold on to?”), but he is also remorseful (“I’ll take all the blame, yo baby I’m sorry”). It is interesting to note that on the most lyrically contradictive song, the music is also at odds with the words, the subject matter being serious while the music is upbeat and playful, sort of a sister song in funk form to “Play In The Sunshine”.

Straight ahead rock is the feel for what is probably the pinnacle song on the album, “I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man”. This style is used to very good effect, and it ranks as one of the classic Prince songs of all time. It was also a single in the top 20 US charts. If it weren’t for the slightly sloppy drum playing on the next song “The Cross”, this song could have been another definitive classic for Prince, however it is that and the just-not-loud-enough rhythm guitar which lets this track down. Most will probably not notice these details however and other than its arrangement, it is a worthy paean to the symbol of Christ and its gospel tinges add to the overall depth of the album. If he had just included a stronger take, “The Cross” could have been great. It narrowly misses that status.

“Its Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” is a marvelous look into the live sound of Prince and his band The Revolution, even if it does contain a few overdubs. Overall it’s a jam written specifically for the atmosphere of the stage, with some nice playing by Sheila E on percussion and the always great horn lines of Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss. The only thing which might have made this track better would be the removal of the chant from “The Wizard Of Oz”…it just sounds boorish, but that sometimes comes with the “had-to-be-there”-ness of live recordings. Bliss makes another welcome appearance on the final track, “Adore”, which is arguably the best vocal performance of Prince’s career. It is almost doo-wop in style and ranks as the best of Prince’s slow jams. Eclecticism is once again brought to the fore, as is the humour which makes a brief appearance. Just before the climax of the song he breaks off, mid-falsetto to say his lover could “burn up my clothes, smash up my ride…..well, MAYBE NOT THE RIDE!” just so long as he gets to have her around. “Adore” contains a series of perfect proclamations of adoration to a lover in lines such as, “Love’s too weak to define just what you mean to me” and “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the one”, making it one of the most romantic, heartfelt songs in the Prince canon.

Over the span of about twenty five albums, it is hard to say whether or not Prince has created a definitive masterpiece, as so many of them have been filled with excellence and a fair amount of material which is simply in need of an editor. “Sign ‘O’ The Times” is however the closest we’ll ever get a masterwork, containing the least amount of filler (compare the sprawling three-cd, three hour set of all new music, “Emancipation”) and is a definitive display of the man’s talents in musicianship and songwriting. If you are new to his music and are looking for a worthy investment, the best collection is the most comprehensive set yet released, the three-cd, “The Hits/The B-Sides” If you are looking for something less pricey, “The Best Of Prince” is a shortened version which suffers for its brevity (considering Prince is one of the most prolific artists of the twentieth century). If you’re looking for a song sequence displaying the wide array of talents of an artist David Bowie once called “The most important artist of his generation”, “Sign ‘O’ The Times comes highly recommended.
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The above text is copyright 2002-03 of the original author and no part of it is to be reprinted without permission.

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[This message was edited Tue Apr 1 21:37:15 PST 2003 by jacally]

jacally said:

Really, now...

Supernova said:

Yes! His accounts have been temporarily deactivated.

jacally said:

jacally is a weird name for a guy

april fools...geez, i can't wait till the clock strikes 12

rdhull said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Hi, this is mrdespues.

AKA ET

AKA Penis

jacally is really my girlfriend's orgname. I am typing under her orgname though at the moment.

She really did post this for me and I really did write it.

It is not an April Fool's prank.

I like the style in which this review is written although I do disagree with some of the commentaries.

Without meaning to be overly critical, I think it would be more readable if edited down. Also, a review of the track, It, appears to be ommitted. Other than that, excellent post!

Although there is a cheap looking video for Sign O The Times single, my take is that Prince was pissed about cutting it down from the 3 record set Crystal Ball.

So Prince didn't do a video for Sign or If I Was Your Girlfriend.

I think WB just made an Amiga Video Toaster flying text version. Which although kept the Times like typeface, I think it's Garamond, kept a slight feel of the album. Kind of like the lyrics in the inner sleeve.

Anji said:

mrdespues/ET/Penis here:

Thankyou, Anji. Finally someone read it.

Please note, however, "It" is mentioned:


"“It” is probably the most basic song on the album in its approach and lyrics. The lyrics are solely devoted the theme of sexual obsession, with a synthetic bass drum that almost sounds like someone walking down a hall and erratic synth stabs adding to the urgent atmosphere of the narrator’s need."

The length was roughly what was required for the assignment. I agree it is long, though, as I mentioned in the title of this thread. An edit might be good, but I don't have the time...just wondered what you all thought.

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

ok, but how is this pertinent to the thread?

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[This message was edited Tue Apr 1 21:07:08 PST 2003 by jacally]

jacally said:

Ah, I see it now!

By the way, I really don't agree with your verdict on Hot Thing.

So the dude who left in a big dramatic thread is actually here under several names & wants feedback on his SOTT review... classic Org



they never leave...

Anji said:

How's that?

CalhounSq said:

It wasn't all that dramatic...well maybe a little...I was just bored and I never blamed ANYONE for leaving. It was actually mostly cause my gf thought I was spending too much time on here, which was true. And I never said I was never coming back.

But anyway, that is not what this thread is about.



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[This message was edited Tue Apr 1 21:21:12 PST 2003 by jacally]

jacally said:

You said that only the horn lines add credibility to a less interesting song. Watch the 'Hot Thing' performance again (on the Sign O The Times video), and then re-visit the album version. That song drips funk all over the shop...

Anji said:

It does, and the Sign O the Times video version is far superior, you're right. But I'm talking about the album version. Not bad at all, but its not the same performance. The studio version is inferior to the SOTT movie version (which is perfect).

I hadn't seen the SOTT movie in a long time when I wrote that review - I like the song much more now, but it is still not one of the BRILLIANT tracks on the album. It is very good though. "Less interesting" on a mostly brill' album does not mean bad.

jacally said:

Agreed.

Many interesting points, although I disagree with some of your comments. It's very well-written, but I would have probably finished with a paragraph that brings the analysis together in a cohesive summary. Nice!

Moonbeam said:

So do I...I've changed my mind about a few things since then. It was written mid-last year.



I thought I did that.

Well actually, I agree, it could have been a little more DEFINITE in drawing its conclusion of the album. I didn't quite call SOTT a "masterpiece" but said it was the closest thing Prince has made to one. I now think it is in fact a masterpiece.

Care to point out what you disagree with?

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[This message was edited Tue Apr 1 21:33:37 PST 2003 by jacally]

Moonbeam said:

I thought it finishes well enough. You're right, it's not a summary of the analysis but it still leaves the listener with 'things' to go away with.

Anyway, Moonie, can you please post a comprehensive thread with more of your reviews on Prince albums? And I'm not just talking about 1999 and Lovesexy. Thanks!

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[This message was edited Tue Apr 1 21:35:15 PST 2003 by Anji]

Anji said:

I guess I was just confused about the point at the end. It seemed like a review of the album, but the final paragraph makes it seem like he was trying to suggest an album for a casual listener to buy!

I will post my reviews when I write them, because I haven't yet! Pick one for me, and I'll do my best.

jacally said:

Well, for starters, "The Cross" is my favorite Prince song ever. I love how it is so subdued in the beginning- it just grows in intensity and passion as the song progresses- kind of like how Christ himself came from humble origins to completely change the world. But that's just an opinion. I also am not the fan of "Adore" that everyone else is- in fact, it's my second least favorite song on the entire album!

Again, these are just my opinions- I don't have any issues with your presentation.

Moonbeam said:

I well I can see how we disagree then! Adore is one of my FAVOURITE songs...and The Cross, well I just like it a lot. I prefer the live version however and I maintain that the drumming on the studio version is sloppy. I heard that the drums might have been performed by Wendy, which would make sense considering she is not first and foremost a drummer. If not it isn't Wendy, then it is a particularly substandard drum performance from Prince. THAT SAID - still a great song!

By the way, what IS your least favourite then, on SOTT?

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[This message was edited Tue Apr 1 22:29:20 PST 2003 by jacally]

jacally said:

You're right. Sorry about that. I just placed some thoughts that came to mind about the album after reading part of the review. Please, don't let me distract you from the original thread. My bad.

Cool review by the way MrDespues...!

Moonbeam said:

I would like you to give us an honest evaluation of Graffiti Bridge, Moonie!

jacally said:

My least favorite on SOTT is "Slow Love."

Anji said:

I'll be busy today and won't have time to give it a fair review, but I will once things settle down a bit- count on it!

Moonbeam said:

Cool, Moonie, I look forward to it! By the way, I will be fully analysing your comments, so be prepared...